Anglo-US Extradition Treaty

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the operation of the Anglo-United States extradition treaty will be reviewed.

Lord West of Spithead: The UK keeps all its extradition arrangements under scrutiny. It is the Government's view that the UK-US treaty is working well and they have no plans to review its operation.
	On 10 November 2009, the Secretary of State for the Home Department gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee, clarifying the role of the Secretary of State in relation to the UK-US extradition treaty.

Benefits

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the resident population of the City of Manchester who are of working age were in receipt of incapacity benefit in each year since 2000.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested is in the table.
	
		
			 Proportion of working age population in Manchester Local Authority claiming Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance as a percentage since 2000 
			 Year % Population 
			 February 2000 13.6 
			 February 2001 13.7 
			 February 2002 13.3 
			 February 2003 13.0 
			 February 2004 12.6 
			 February 2005 12.3 
			 February 2006 11.7 
			 February 2007 11.3 
			 February 2008 10.7 
			 February 2009 9.9 
		
	
	Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
	Notes:
	i. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest decimal place
	ii Working age is classified as 16-59 for women and 16-64 for men
	iii Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008
	iv. These data do not include claimants of employment support allowance

Benefits

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many households in each constituency in Greater Manchester were in receipt of (a) pension credit, and (b) working tax credit, in each of the past five years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The number of households in receipt of pension credit is in the table below.
	
		
			 Households in receipt of Pension Credit in Greater Manchester 
			 Parliamentary constituency February 2005 February 2006 February 2007 February 2008 February 2009 
			 Altrincham and Sale West 3,110 3,190 3,150 3,140 3,090 
			 Ashton under Lyne 5,530 5,620 5,620 5,620 5,630 
			 Bolton North East 5,120 5,150 5,190 5,180 5,230 
			 Bolton South East 5,280 5,400 5,500 5,520 5,580 
			 Bolton West 3,500 3,580 3,600 3,650 3,700 
			 Bury North 4,050 4,070 4,150 4,160 4,130 
			 Bury South 4,280 4,340 4,380 4,290 4,260 
			 Cheadle 2,430 2,530 2,560 2,560 2,580 
			 Denton and Reddish 4,900 4,900 4,900 4,920 4,930 
			 Eccles 5,600 5,590 5,580 5,560 5,470 
			 Hazel Grove 3,620 3,620 3,630 3,600 3,580 
			 Heywood and Middleton 5,160 5,180 5,260 5,260 5,260 
			 Leigh 5,160 5,260 5,290 5,300 5,320 
			 Makerfield 4,560 4,650 4,700 4,680 4,750 
			 Manchester Central 6,410 6,420 6,330 6,310 6,280 
			 Manchester, Blackley 6,010 6,050 6,060 5,860 5,930 
			 Manchester, Gorton 4,900 4,960 4,870 4,850 4,810 
			 Manchester, Withington 4,040 4,050 4,000 3,990 3,980 
			 Oldham East and Saddleworth 4,730 4,840 4,880 4,910 4,830 
			 Oldham West and Royton 5,360 5,510 5,510 5,470 5,360 
			 Rochdale 5,440 5,510 5,520 5,500 5,540 
			 Salford 5,530 5,570 5,540 5,500 5,450 
			 Stalybridge and Hyde 4,700 4,770 4,740 4,700 4,690 
			 Stockport 4,200 4,230 4,270 4,270 4,250 
			 Stretford and Urmston 4,480 4,510 4,480 4,420 4,380 
			 Wigan 4,550 4,630 4,640 4,630 4,640 
			 Worsley 4,620 4,730 4,730 4,770 4,740 
			 Wythenshawe and Sale East 6,140 6,170 6,110 6,060 6,010 
			 Column Total 133,430 135,050 135,190 134,640 134,410 
		
	
	Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
	Notes:
	1. The number of households in receipt is rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Household recipients are those people who claim Pension Credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a partner.
	Estimates of the number of families receiving working tax credit by parliamentary constituency and local authority are available in the HMRC publications Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses for the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. Figures for 2003-04 are only available at disproportionate cost.
	These publications are available on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.

Child Maintenance

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people used the child maintenance options service in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The child maintenance options service offers impartial and confidential information and support about child maintenance. A customer is under no obligation to supply the service with any personal information and can choose to remain anonymous. Therefore there are no figures available for the number of individuals who have used the service.
	Information is available on the number of contacts made through the various media that a customer can use to access the service. This information is presented in the table below and shows activity broken down each month in the quarter year ending September 2009.
	
		
			  July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 
			 Number of successful contacts on outbound calls 15,600 13,000 14,200 
			 Number of inbound calls 11,300 8,400 13,300 
			 Unique visitors to the Options website 61,100 50,800 72,300 
			 Emails received 700 600 700

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the operational improvement plan of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The operational improvement plan (OIP) was a high-profile programme of activities designed to drive much needed improvement in services to clients, productivity and efficiency, and to contribute towards public service agreement targets. Progress was kept under constant review during the three years of the plan, with high levels of executive scrutiny, initially by the CSA chief executive, later commissioner, and his executive team and the non-executive directors who attended the OIP programme board.
	The Child Support Agency report on handover to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, published in December 2008, noted that the operational improvement plan was acknowledged to have driven up performance and made the CSA a more businesslike organisation. The commission continues to act upon the findings of the handover report.
	The performance of the Child Support Agency was made public throughout the duration of the OIP through the agency's quarterly summary of statistics. Between March 2006 and March 2009 the numbers of children benefiting increased from 623,000 to 780,500 and the amount of maintenance collected increased from £836 million in the year to March 2006 to £1,132 million in the year to March 2009. There were also improvements to the speed with which telephone inquiries were answered and the quality of the service provided.

Child Poverty

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to prevent an increase in child poverty resulting from a rise in unemployment affecting households in which neither parent has a job.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government's priority in the current economic climate is to support all families through the economic downturn and to protect jobs. Since the start of the downturn, the Government have invested around £5 billion to provide real help to people suffering the effects of unemployment, including an extra £3 billion to Jobcentre Plus to provide personal help and advice to everyone who needs it. The Government remain convinced that parental employment is the most sustainable route out of poverty for children.
	The Government are committed to the eradication of child poverty and have introduced the Child Poverty Bill into Parliament. By entrenching this ambitious goal in law the Government are ensuring that eradicating child poverty is a priority for every future Government and a shared mission for our society. The Bill will require the Government to publish a child poverty strategy, to be refreshed every three years, evaluating progress towards the 2020 vision and setting milestones for further action across a wide range of policy areas. One of the strands of the strategy will focus on employment and skills, and another strand will focus on the financial support that is available to families.

Child Support Agency

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rate of complaints received by the Child Support Agency and the average time taken to resolve investigations into complaints.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested is provided in the table below which shows a breakdown over the past three years of the number of complaints received, the caseload and complaints received as a percentage of the caseload.
	Information is not held on the average time taken to resolve investigations into complaints. Information is recorded on complaints which have been fully resolved or where a resolution plan has been put in place within 15 working days of receipt. This information is included in the table.
	
		
			 Year to Complaints Received Caseload Complaints received as a percentage of the caseload Complaints fully resolved and/or resolution plan agreed within  15 working days 
			 Sep-07 43,690 1,411,300 3.1% 91.1% 
			 Sep-08 29,720 1,359,700 2.2% 96.1% 
			 Sep-09 26,550 1,261,900 2.1% 97.9% 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Uncleared work has been added to the live and assessed caseload to give the total caseload amount. This is because a complaint can be made at the pre-maintenance assessment stage. As a result the caseload figures above will not match the live and assessed cases total shown in the quarterly statistical summary.
	2. The clerical caseload has been added to the September 2007 caseload figure. Clerical cases are already integrated into the live and assessed caseload figure in the quarterly statistical summary for the September 2008 and September 2009 figures.

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill does not contain provisions relating to the right to travel and the procedures for issuing passports; and why they have postponed consultation on draft legislation on those matters until the next Parliament.

Lord West of Spithead: The Governance of Britain—Constitutional Renewal White Paper, published in March 2008, made clear that the Government would introduce comprehensive legislation on the procedures for issuing passports. There has been no change in this commitment and, while no precise timetable has been set, it is intended that legislation will be published for consultation during the next Parliament.

Courts: Family Cases

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, in allowing the media access to the written evidence and substance of cases in the family courts, they have sought to protect the confidentiality of doctors and social workers in talking to children involved in care and related proceedings.

Lord Bach: The media are only able to access written evidence in family proceedings following an application procedure and with the express consent of the court. Additionally, the courts have been given a discretionary power to exclude the media from proceedings where necessary. We would expect professionals to use their judgment about the most effective and appropriate way to inform children of sufficient age and understanding on the use to which the information will be put and who is likely to come into contact with this information.

Courts: Fees

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation whereby debtors who were subject to bailiff action and subsequently filed a complaint against the bailiffs using the form 4 complaint issued by the Ministry of Justice have subsequently had cost orders of thousands of pounds imposed on them by the court when the complaint was dismissed; and whether they propose to make it clear on form 4 that such costs may be incurred, or prevent courts imposing such orders.

Lord Bach: The decision on whether to award costs is a matter for the judge, which may be appealed to the High Court. I have asked my officials to consider the wording on form 4 and the associated guidance.

Cyprus: Property

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ease of purchasing property in Northern Cyprus which was previously registered in the names of Turkish Cypriots or other Europeans prior to 1974.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government have made no such assessment.

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills: Consultants

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and its predecessors spent on consultants in each of the last three years; and who are the top six consultants employed in each year by order of expenditure.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: I will write to the noble Baroness and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Education: Special Educational Needs

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is in place for children and adults with special educational needs who want to enter tertiary education.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Young people with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) also have a transition plan from age 14 to help them make the transition from school to further studies and adult life. The local authority Connexions service is responsible for arranging assessments of all young people with SEN who are in their last year of compulsory schooling and who are planning to go into further education or training.
	Provision in tertiary education in the further education (FE) system for children and adults with SEN is based on assessed need. There are discrete courses for those with complex and profound disabilities, sometimes in a residential setting, while FE providers are able to offer places on mainstream courses as part of inclusion policies, having made reasonable adjustments to enable access.
	Provision for adults will range from introductory courses on a part-time basis to full-time vocational courses.
	From April 2010, foundation learning will be offered, which accredits all learning undertaken and enables learners to study at their own pace.
	Foundation learning will cover all provision at level 1 and pre-entry and will provide structured pathways to employment wherever this is appropriate and improve learning outcomes generally.
	More broadly, the Government help remove the barriers which prevent disabled students from entering and completing higher education by providing substantial financial help through the disabled students' allowances.

Elections: Armed Forces

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps with registered political parties to ensure the election communications delivered free to each elector are sent to military personnel serving overseas.

Lord Bach: At present, under Section 91 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, at general elections any candidate is entitled to send, free of charge for delivery, either to each elector, or to each address in the constituency, one piece of election material. At present, this provision enables communications to be sent to electors in UK constituencies and therefore only applies to communications that are sent to addresses within the UK. Consequently, any change to these provisions to provide for election material to be sent to electors overseas would require amendment to primary legislation.
	There will be many candidates contesting 650 constituencies at the next general election. Many of those candidates will send an electoral communication. The delivery of this material may not take place until the election is called and the candidates known. Conveying this volume of printed material in such a short timescale would place a significant burden on the transport systems from the UK to those personnel serving overseas. Therefore, extending the provisions under Section 91 of the RPA 1983 may therefore not necessarily be the most effective way for political parties to communicate with service personnel.
	However, the noble Lord raises an important issue. Service personnel must have the opportunity to participate fully in our democratic processes. My right honourable friend Michael Wills recently met armed forces families' representatives to discuss arrangements for service voters and has written to invite all MPs to meet him and give their views on improvements to service voting arrangements, and this important issue will be considered as part of that process.

EU: Budget

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the amount or estimated amount of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Union's budget before and after the UK's rebate for each of the years 2003—04 to 2010—11; and what percentage of gross domestic product each of those figures represent.

Lord Myners: The Government's latest figures for the amount or estimated amount of the UK's net contribution to the European Community budget for the years 2003-04 to 2010-11 were published in table 3.2 of the European Community Finances White Paper of July 2009 (Cm 7640), page 25.
	The Office for National Statistics published GDP figures for the years 2003 to 2008 in the UK National Accounts Blue Book 2009, pages 36-9. Projected GDP figures for 2009 to 2011 are published in the Economy and Public Finances supplementary material to the Budget 2009, page 25.

EU: Budget

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their forecasts for the United Kingdom's gross contributions to the European Union budget (a) on a year-by-year basis, and (b) in total during the current financial perspective ending in 2013.

Lord Myners: The Government's latest forecasts for the UK's gross contributions to the European Community budget for the current financial perspective were published in table 3.2 of the European Community Finances White Paper of July 2009 (Cm 7640), page 25. In line with all other public expenditure estimates, the Treasury does not currently publish forecasts beyond 2010-11.

EU: Employment

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord Myners on 27 October (HL Deb, col 1095) stating that "some 3.5 million jobs in Britain are directly attributable to our membership of the EU", on what evidence that figure was based.

Lord Myners: Using data for 2006 from the Office for National Statistics and input-output analysis, the Government estimate that 3.5 million jobs in the UK are linked directly and indirectly to the export of goods and services to the EU.

Fraud

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations are being undertaken to establish the level of drawback fraud and the use of tax warehousing facilities in member states of the European Union.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated revenue lost to HM Revenue and Customs from drawback fraud.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether UK-produced beer products are being used in drawback fraud.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are engaged in drawback fraud investigations in the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase the powers of enforcement to deal with drawback fraud.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) investigations, (b) prosecutions, and (c) convictions for drawback fraud there have been in each of the last three years.

Lord Myners: Drawback allows businesses to claim a repayment of excise duty on "duty paid" alcohol that they dispatch directly to another member state, export outside the EU, or destroy.
	HMRC is aware of arrangements in other member states that allow UK drawback claimants to place UK duty paid goods in tax warehouses in those member states. In order to gain a better understanding of the nature of this trade and any possible associated fraud, HMRC is working with UK representatives and counterpart tax authorities in those member states.
	Claims to drawback in the UK are now assured by a central team, enabling better targeting of high-risk claims. A pilot exercise is under way to gain a better understanding of the reasons for the recent increase in the level of drawback claims and to determine a robust operational response. Previous examination of claims indicates, that a large proportion relates to UK-produced beer.
	No estimate has been made of the revenue lost to HMRC from drawback fraud across all excise goods.
	HMRC keeps neither central records of the numbers of officers deployed on drawback-related cases, nor statistics on the number of drawback investigations, prosecutions and convictions. Obtaining this information would incur a disproportionate cost.
	From 1 April 2010, HMRC will introduce a new standard penalty system for a number of excise regimes, including drawback. From this date, anyone making a false claim will be liable to a penalty based on, among other factors, the potential lost revenue.

Fraud

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle insurance fraud.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the reported increase in cases of insurance fraud.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to give companies support in detecting cases of insurance fraud.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The national fraud strategy provides a framework for the counterfraud community to strengthen the UK's fight against fraud and make the UK a more hostile environment for fraudsters. The National Fraud Authority (NFA) is dedicated to delivering on a number of initiatives across the fraud spectrum, co-ordinating the implementation of the strategy between government, law enforcement and the private sector.
	Insurance Fraud
	Whilst there has been a reported increase in insurance fraud, research also shows an increase in the detection and reporting of attempted frauds by the insurance industry. Research by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) highlights improved data sharing through the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and a more focused approach to detecting fraud has been adopted by the insurance industry.
	Information Sharing
	As part of the NFA's initiative to improve information sharing between public and private sector organisations, it is engaging with the Insurance Fraud Bureau and the ABI (among others) regarding the occurrence of fraud. Improving information sharing channels will serve to improve intelligence gathering, the identification of gaps in our counterfraud measures and the detection of fraud to strengthen our response.
	Motor Insurance Fraud (Staged Motor Vehicle Accidents)
	General insurance fraud costs the industry £1.9 billion per annum, which adds £44 to the average premium of innocent policyholders. Motor insurance fraud, a highly organised multimillion pound enterprise, is a specific area of insurance fraud which has been on the increase.
	Staged motor accidents, including induced accidents which occur when an accident has deliberately been caused with an innocent motorist with the intention of making a false or inflated insurance claim, are a particularly dangerous type of motor insurance fraud involving organised criminal gangs.
	In response to this problem a Staged Accident Strategy Working Group (SASWG) was formed under the chair of the Ministry of Justice and latterly the ABI. The group, of which the NFA is a member, has worked with the insurance industry to raise the profile of this type of fraud and has been instrumental in instigating and supporting police enforcement action. By way of example, the IFB worked closely with the Greater Manchester Police on the Crash for Cash operation that recently resulted in the sentencing of 19 defendants for their participation in organising at least 92 fake accidents.
	National Fraud Reporting Centre
	The recent launch of the National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC) on 26 October 2009 now provides a single point of contact for individuals and small and medium-sized businesses to report incidents of fraud. The first facility of its kind, the NFRC's mandate is to advise victims of fraud of action they can take, including directing them to appropriate authorities for further assistance, and to relay information to the police via the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB will be able to better identify and detect cases of insurance fraud.

Government Initiatives: Advertising

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government which initiatives by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies were advertised in each of the past five years; how much was spent on each; and which used the services of the Central Office of Information.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: For the period 2008-09, the amount spent was £1,183,700 on the Know Before You Go campaign, £316,984 on external Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recruitment advertising and £949,700 on external FCO Services recruitment advertising.
	The following amounts were spent by the Central Office of Information (COI) on TV and radio fillers:
	2004-05—£22,122;
	2005-06—£94,624;
	2006-07—£109,489;
	2007-08—£105,560; and
	2008-09—£270,762.
	COI figures also include distribution and production costs of the fillers. The increase in overall expenditure for 2008-09 was due to the increase in TV fillers.
	For figures relating to previous years, I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my right honourable friend the then Minister for Europe, Caroline Flint, on 24 November 2008 (Official Report, col. 1040W).

Government of Wales Act 2006

Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many legislative competence orders and Acts of Parliament containing powers for the National Assembly for Wales to make Assembly Measures under the Government of Wales Act 2006 have been passed.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Following the Government of Wales Act 2006, four legislative competence orders have been made and Parliament has approved two further orders by resolution, both of which will be submitted to the next Privy Council meeting on 17 November 2009. Seven Acts of Parliament have included framework powers devolving powers to the National Assembly for Wales.

Government: 30-year Rule

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to give effect to the recommendations of the review of the 30-year rule; and, if so, how.

Lord Bach: The Government welcomed the 30-year rule review team's findings, and the Prime Minister announced in his speech on constitutional reform of 10 June that there would be a reduction of the rule to 20 years and consideration of enhanced protections for certain categories of information. The review team made a number of other recommendations in its report, and the Government are preparing a detailed response to these, which will be published in due course. Any change to the 30-year rule will require primary legislation.

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 2 November (WA 11—12) concerning payments received and made by the United Kingdom from and to non-waiver European Economic Area member states for healthcare, why the amount paid to Ireland in 2007—08 was £336,631,460 when the amount received from Ireland was £18,205,223.

Baroness Thornton: The difference between the two amounts reflects the fact that there are substantially more United Kingdom state pensioners living in Ireland than there are Irish state pensioners living in the UK.

Health: vCJD

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional costs to the coroners service of testing for vCJD.

Lord Bach: There is currently no additional cost to the coroner service of testing for vCJD. Such testing does not fall within coroners' statutory duties and, as a service, they have declined to engage in a Department of Health-funded research project to test tissue samples obtained at post-mortem for vCJD. Coroners are independent judicial office-holders and there is no authority to compel their involvement in this project. Nevertheless, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State wrote to the Coroners' Society in March 2009 asking coroners to reconsider their position and agree to a number of coroners taking part in a pilot study, but the society declined, citing the difficulties in obtaining consent from bereaved families.
	Two coroners have, however, agreed on an individual basis to take part in a pilot study for this project, and the Health Protection Agency is liaising with them about their costs.

Housing: Move-on

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will facilitate the provision of move-on accommodation by housing associations and local authorities for residents of hostels, foyers and supported accommodation.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Facilitating "move-on" is the responsibility of local authorities. However, we are currently funding Crisis to support local authorities to expand and extend the availability of schemes that provide access to private rented accommodation for non-priority single homeless people, and ensure that they are delivered to the highest standards, through the provision of a national advisory service. Since 2000, the department has grant funded a tenancy sustainment service for former rough sleepers who occupy RSL properties.

Licensing: Live Music

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are (a) the terms of reference of, and (b) the timescale for, the proposed consultation on an entertainment licensing exemption for live music.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publicise their proposed consultation on an entertainment licensing exemption for live music.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposed consultation on an entertainment licensing exemption for live music will include consultation on venues with a capacity of up to 200 people.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are holding a further consultation on a possible entertainment licensing exemption for live music.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to deal with any noise and anti-social behaviour arising at small venues that would qualify for the proposed entertainment licensing exemption for live music.

Lord Davies of Oldham: On the subject of the proposed consultation on an entertainment licensing exemption for live music, the consultation will be conducted in accordance with procedures set out in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. We hope to publish the consultation this year and will consult for the usual 12-week period. This will be publicised on the department's website.
	The consultation will seek views on a proposal to exempt live music performed before not more than 100 people from the Licensing Act. However, if the consultation overwhelmingly shows that stakeholders would prefer this to be extended to venues with a capacity of up to 200 people, then the Government would consider this.
	This is the first time the Government have held a public consultation on a live music exemption in relation to entertainment licensing requirements. One reason the Government are considering an exemption is that other legislation exists to tackle noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour. In addition, we propose to create a power to revoke exemptions if there are problems at specific premises.

Local Government: London Boroughs

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what alternative options for governance structures, including elected mayors, designated leaders and appointed lead members, will be available to London boroughs from April 2010; and what provision will be made for public consultation in the event that a change in governance is contemplated.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 requires London borough councils, other than those currently operating a mayor and cabinet executive model, to resolve by 31 December 2009 to adopt following the 2010 local elections either the new-style leader and cabinet executive model provided for by the 2007 Act, or a mayor and cabinet executive model. Before making such a resolution, councils must draw up proposals for their new governance model, and before doing so must take reasonable steps to consult the local government electors for, and other interested persons in, their area.

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in order to allow independent nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers to access the whole of the British National Formulary, including all controlled drugs.

Lord West of Spithead: It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to the noble Baroness separately.

National Security

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development has met.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development sub-committees on (a) Europe, (b) Nuclear Security, (c) Overseas and Defence, (d) Africa, (e) Trade, (f) Protective Security and Resilience, and (g) Tackling Extremism, have met.

Baroness Crawley: The Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development (NSID), and its sub-committees, exist to consider issues relating to national security, and the Government's international, European and international development policies. Details of these committees' membership and terms of reference are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and topics discussed, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

National Security

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Sub-Committee on Afghanistan and Pakistan of the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development was formed; and how often it has met.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I refer the noble Baroness to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister on 21 July 2009 (col. 132WS) announcing the formation of a sub-committee on Afghanistan and Pakistan of the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development. The Written Ministerial Statement also includes the composition and terms of reference.
	Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and topics discussed, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

National Security

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the sub-committee on Intelligence of the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development was formed; and how often it has met.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The sub-committee on Intelligence of the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development was formed in July 2009.
	Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and topics discussed, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Office of Cyber Security: Cyber Security Operations Centre

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (a) funding, and (b) resources, including staff numbers, have been allocated to (1) the Office of Cyber Security, and (2) the Cyber Security Operations Centre.

Baroness Crawley: The Office of Cyber Security (OCS) is allocated £130,000 funding for FY 09-10, while the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) has not been allocated a budget for this fiscal year. OCS and CSOC staff costs are being borne by parent departments, with IT set-up costs being borne by a combination of the Cabinet Office (OCS) and GCHQ (CSOC), as host organisation, as well as contributing agencies. The OCS is predicted to have 18 personnel allocated by early 2010. CSOC expects to have a staff of 19 by 10 March (the centre's initial operating capability—or IOC—date).

Olympic Games 2010: Budgets

The Earl of Caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is each department's budgeted expenditure for the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The public sector funding provision for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is £9.325 billion made up of contributions of £5.975 billion from the Government, £2.175 billion from the National Lottery and the £1.175 billion from the Greater London Authority and the London Development Agency. A number of other government programmes will be inspired by, or linked thematically to, the 2012 Games. Many of these will help to fulfil the five promises in the Government's legacy action plan for London 2012.
	Expenditure in these areas falls to be met from the budgets of the relevant departments.

Olympic Games 2010

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE); how many GOE employees will be present in Vancouver for part or all of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games; and what is the budget associated with their work in Vancouver.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As of 21 October 2009, GOE employed 92.5 full-time equivalents, including agency and interim staff.
	Five officials from the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) will participate in the Vancouver organisers' official observer programme to study at first-hand Vancouver's experience in staging an Olympic Games and to learn lessons for London 2012. My right honourable friend, the Minister for the Olympics will also attend, together with her private secretary and a press officer. It is planned that two officials will join observer programme sessions run during the Paralympic Games.
	We estimate that the costs of GOE officials' participation will be approximately £30,000—a reflection of Vancouver's distance from the UK and hotel prices in Vancouver during Games-time.

Parliamentary Constituencies

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 3 November (WA 49—50), what is the estimated cost of a full review of parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bach: The cost of the last general review of parliamentary constituencies in each part of the UK was approximately as follows:
	
		
			 England £10.8 million 
			 Northern Ireland £1.2 million 
			 Scotland £957,120 
			 Wales £649,498 
			 UK total £13,606,618

Passports

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many passports have been issued by the Belfast branch of the Identity and Passport Service in each year since 2001.

Lord West of Spithead: The number of passports issued from the Belfast office since 2001 for each calendar year is shown below:
	2001—216,599;2002—248,479;2003—174,327;2004—296,601;2005—361,099;2006—354,688;2007—380,455; and2008—348,900.

People Trafficking

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to increase the number of places available in safe accommodation to victims of human trafficking.

Lord Bach: The Council of Europe Convention on Trafficking which the Government ratified in December last year commits the UK to provision of safe sheltered accommodation for all those trafficked persons who need it.
	The Government have consequently invested £4 million into specialist support services for victims of human trafficking over the next two years.
	This includes an investment of £3.7 million into the Poppy project to expand and improve the services that are available to victims who have been trafficked into the sex industry and domestic servitude. The additional investment will see an expansion of supported accommodation, with refuge places for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in London, Sheffield and Cardiff. The investment will also fund a new national co-ordinator who will help set best practice standards and work with areas to raise awareness with local agencies and funding commissioners. There will also be an increase in advocacy workers to help provide one-to-one tailored support and the community outreach team will also be extended with two link workers based within the UK Human Trafficking Centre to work in partnership with the police, the UK Border Agency and other partners to help with victim identification and onward referral into support.
	Additionally, £300,000 is being invested into the UK Human Trafficking Centre to develop flexible support services for victims of labour trafficking.

Prisoners

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners were held in prisons in England and Wales on 31 May in each of the past 12 years for which figures are available.

Lord Bach: The table below gives the numbers of prisoners held in all prison establishments from 1998 to 2009 (latest available). The figures are taken from the published table 2.1 in Prison Statistics England and Wales 1998-2002; table 7.1 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003-08 and table 1 in the Population in Custody June 2009.
	As data are not available at 31 May for all years, figures as at 30 June have been supplied.
	
		
			 Prison Population in England and Wales 1998-2009 
			 Figures as at 30 June  
			 1998 65,727 
			 1999 64,529 
			 2000 65,194 
			 2001 66,403 
			 2002 71,218 
			 2003 73,657 
			 2004 74,488 
			 2005 76,190 
			 2006 77,982 
			 2007 79,734 
			 2008 83,194 
			 2009 83,454 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Grendon

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that the approach to rehabilitation work with prisoners at HM Prison Grendon is not affected by new public expenditure restrictions; and how they are using experiences of that work in other prisons.

Lord Bach: HMP Grendon is one of a number of establishments within the prison system that provides a therapeutic community-based regime for those offenders who are assessed as having a medium or high risk of harm and those diagnosed with a personality disorder. Given the current economic climate, NOMS is required to look at ways of reducing overall cost and improving efficiency. This applies to all prison establishments including HMP Grendon.
	NOMS and the director of offender management for the region are working closely with HMP Grendon to maintain the standards needed to deliver their therapeutic based programme. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Community of Communities programme also has a robust accreditation scheme for therapeutic communities, including Grendon, which provides assurance to NOMS, regulators and the public that the programmes are of an acceptable quality and that quality and safety standards have been met. In addition, HMP Grendon is at the heart of the NOMS South East region project for improving staff-prisoner interaction, which is already having a positive impact in other prisons across the region.

Spain: Property

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken in response to the petition delivered to No 10 Downing Street on 12 March by Suzanne Wyatt concerning United Kingdom citizens who have bought, or attempted to buy, property in Spain; and whether they have raised the matter with the Government of Spain.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Although the Government have no authority in matters relating to Spanish domestic legislation, whether national, regional or local, we understand the difficulties and distress caused to some British citizens by property-related issues in Spain, of which the petition is further good evidence.
	We are in regular contact with the central and local governments in Spain on this issue and raise our concerns with interlocutors at every appropriate opportunity. Most recently, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Affairs, Chris Bryant, raised property issues with the Spanish Minister of State for Territorial Policy during his visit to Madrid in September 2009 and will do so again when he visits this month.

Spain: Property

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Spain about the level of compensation paid to United Kingdom citizens for properties nationalised under the Ley de Costas.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Although the Government have no authority relating to Spanish domestic legislation, whether national, regional or local, we are in regular contact with the central and local governments in Spain on this issue and take the opportunity to raise our concerns with interlocutors at every appropriate opportunity. We have expressed our view to the Spanish Government that compensation should be in line with the true value of the property (before prices were depressed by the act or threat of expropriation), but internal property laws are the exclusive remit of each member state.

Spain: Property

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of properties owned by United Kingdom citizens in Spain which may be demolished following the revocation of planning permission, in the light of assurances given to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on his recent visit to Madrid that no, or very few, properties owned by United Kingdom citizens would be demolished.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We constantly monitor the situation regarding property rights in Spain as they affect both Spanish and other citizens including those from the UK. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Chris Bryant, has had several conversations with Spanish authorities on this matter and will continue to raise it.

Unemployment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to get both parents in low-income families into work, in the light of the level of unemployment.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Increasing the number of parents in work is a key priority in lifting children out of poverty. The risk of poverty for children in workless couple households is 68 per cent, nearly five times the rate of 14 per cent for children in working households.
	In the current climate it is more important then ever to ensure that we provide everyone who can work with the support they need to find work, which will benefit not only their own family, but will contribute to the economy as a whole.
	Parents need extra support and we are increasing employment support through schools and children's centres to reach out to parents, particularly potential second earners, to encourage and support them to return to work.
	The work-focused services pilot in 30 children's centres in 10 English local authority areas is testing how children's centres can offer an effective vehicle to engage parents in labour-market-related activity, and so move them closer to employment and ultimately into work.
	The School Gates Employment Initiative launched in October 2009 will enable non-working partners in low-income couple families to access support and advice at their child's school, which prepares them for, and signposts them towards, employment and training provision.
	We are also taking powers in the Welfare Reform Bill to introduce new measures to help partners of unemployed people find employment.

Vehicles: Scrappage

Baroness Hanham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vehicles have been scrapped under the vehicle scrappage scheme.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: £153,944,000 has been paid out under the scrappage scheme (as at 3 November). BIS payments are made once orders are fulfilled and transactions completed. This equates to 153,944 vehicles scrapped.

Young People: Custody

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged under 18 were sent into custody for breach of court orders or licences in each year since 1992.

Lord Bach: Figures on breaches of court orders are shown in the table below.
	
		
			 15 to 17 year-olds received into all prison establishments in England and Wales 1995 to 2008 for breaches of court orders 
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Breach of Court Order: 108 137 157 179 174 94 140 319 407 545 701 783 809 273 
		
	
	These figures are taken from the published tables 3.8 in Prison Statistics England and Wales for the years 1995 to 2002; table 7.14 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics for the years 2003 to 2006; and table 6.12 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics for the years 2007 and 2008. Copies of these publications are all available in the House of Commons Library.
	Data on licences being revoked are as follows:
	Since April 2007, when this information became available, there were 57 cases of licences being revoked for under 18 year-olds in the financial year 2007-08; 79 in 2008-09, and 49 in the six-month period April to September 2009. To obtain further information from before April 2007 would involve disproportionate cost as data are not held centrally.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The above tables all relate only to England and Wales; for information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland please refer to the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Prison Service respectively.